The encounter at the bandit hideout had probably been nothing more than an accident.
Afterward, Sosuke had taken his teammates to investigate and even had Shū keep a close watch on the place from the shadows.
In the end, they hadn't seen anyone come or go, which meant the Black-Robed Man had completely abandoned the hideout.
"Sarutobi Kiyoshi." The boy committed the name to memory. Sooner or later, he would personally collect that guy's Points.
After that, Sosuke's missions went fairly smoothly. He didn't encounter any more powerful opponents he couldn't handle.
Half a year passed in the blink of an eye. When the New Year's bells rang, three pitch-black Tomoe suddenly appeared on his neck.
Sosuke had finally redeemed the Curse Mark, greatly strengthening himself on top of his existing abilities.
[Curse Mark, Item Rank B, 6000 Points required for redemption.]
Six thousand Points in all! His heart had ached when he spent them, but luckily, the ability was quite useful, making up for his wounded spirit.
[Name: Uchiha Sosuke] [Age: Eight] [Physical Strength: Genin] [Spiritual Strength: Jonin] [Chakra Capacity: Chunin] [Special Abilities: Sharingan (Two Tomoe), Curse Mark] [Ninja Tools: Short Sword] [Summoning Beast: None] [Points: 1450]
At eight years old, his body was still developing normally.
He was steadily getting taller, but until he entered a rapid growth phase, Taijutsu would remain his most glaring weakness.
By contrast, the growth of his spiritual strength was downright terrifying.
Once the two souls had fully fused, he had gained spiritual strength on par with a Jonin.
As Sosuke grew older, his spiritual strength would continue to increase, though he was unlikely to make another leap this remarkable.
His chakra capacity was comparable to a Chunin's, an indirect benefit of his increased spiritual strength. That was a good thing. Nobody in the world complained about having too much chakra.
Last came the item he'd spent his entire fortune on: the Curse Mark.
Sosuke had tested it carefully. For now, he could only maintain the first state of the Curse Mark, in which patterns covered the surface of his body.
In that state, he could fight a Captain-level opponent head-on. Whether he could kill one would depend on how the two of them performed in the moment.
Whenever he used the Curse Mark's second state, he felt a tearing pain throughout his body. That meant his body still wasn't ready for it.
He could force himself to use it, but the price afterward would likely be permanent disability. He'd have to spend a huge number of Points to fully recover.
Unless he was fighting for his life, Sosuke wouldn't use the Curse Mark's second state lightly.
"I've got fifteen hundred Points left. Back to being dirt-poor."
His battle with Sarutobi Kiyoshi had made Sosuke realize, for the first time, how important weapons were.
If he'd had a suitable weapon, the enemy wouldn't have been able to suppress him so completely that he couldn't fight back.
At first, he'd wanted to redeem one directly from the system. It didn't need to be anything fancy—even an ordinary Kusanagi Sword would do.
But when he saw the price, Sosuke was so stunned that he gave up on redeeming a weapon.
He'd make do with what he had for now. When he got the chance, he could visit the Land of Iron himself. Its blacksmiths were the best in the Hokage World; perhaps they could make what he wanted.
As for what to redeem next, Sosuke already had a few ideas.
[Flying Thunder God Technique (First Stage), Item Rank A, 8500 Points required for redemption.]
An A-rank item worth eight thousand five hundred Points: the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Once he possessed space-time abilities, he would have nothing to fear from any kind of powerful enemy.
If he couldn't win, he could escape with ease. Cornering him would be all but impossible.
Combined with Shadow Clones, it would boost Sosuke's personal safety a hundredfold, even a thousandfold.
Unfortunately, even after redeeming it, he would only be able to master the first stage of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Simply put, it would let him travel directly from point A to point B, but the destination would have to be a fixed coordinate.
Once he reached the Flying Thunder God Second Stage, he would be able to move along with a shifting Space Coordinate, just as Minato had when he fought the Masked Man.
Then it would have real value in combat.
Otherwise, if an enemy learned the details of the Flying Thunder God Technique, they would only need to watch out for the Kunai around them to prevent him from suddenly appearing nearby.
Even so, Sosuke chose to redeem the Flying Thunder God Technique without hesitation. It had immense strategic value, and it would help him in far more than just combat.
The only problem was that eight thousand five hundred Points was expensive. It would probably take him quite a while to save up that much.
Sosuke never slacked off when it came to training his subordinates, either.
After learning the Shadow Clone Training Method, Uchiha Shū's strength was improving rapidly.
Thanks to his incredible willpower, the young man pushed past his mental and physical exhaustion and trained every day, bringing himself close to his limits.
His combat experience grew by leaps and bounds, and his swordsmanship was more than ten times better than it had been six months earlier.
Every so often, Uchiha Shū was also made to undergo Sosuke's Genjutsu trials.
Clearly, Sosuke planned to awaken the fear buried deep in Shū's heart and use it to force him to awaken his Sharingan.
As for how well it was working, the results weren't very promising yet. But Sosuke didn't look discouraged at all.
It was just a matter of awakening the Sharingan. Once he found the right researcher and learned the Gene Transplantation Technique, what would be so hard about getting a pair of little Sharingan?
After ordering Uchiha Shū to keep training, Sosuke often went out alone to complete the missions that suited him.
Meanwhile, the Fūma Clan began provoking the Uchiha more and more often, sometimes attacking Uchiha clan members for no reason at all.
After suffering losses in battle, the Uchiha naturally refused to back down. What began as small, chaotic skirmishes gradually developed into organized attacks and defenses.
To justify their actions, the Fūma Clan seized on Sosuke's case and repeatedly accused the boy of wanton murder.
The Uchiha, in turn, constantly mocked them, claiming that the Fūma Clan relied on forcing women into prostitution to make a living.
Neither side really cared what Sosuke himself thought. They just needed an excuse that would pass muster.
Most of the time, no one could be sure they'd survive to the end.
If they lost the war after making such bold claims, they would easily end up digging a hole for themselves.
Since both sides wanted to fight, the reason didn't really matter.
As things stood, the Uchiha held an overwhelming advantage in local skirmishes.
The only one they still had to worry about was Fūma Eiichirō. That terrifying man was nothing but a killing machine on the battlefield.
For a long time, Uchiha Shinya, the Corps Commander, had rarely ventured outside. He wanted to be ready to face Eiichirō at any moment.
At last, the news he'd been waiting for arrived.
The renowned warrior had come to the battlefield in person.
Before you continue